The Sound Three Reunion
by T'Liana
Summary: Ten years have passed since the events in 'The Sound Three'. Utako is now fourteen. Zaku and Dosu still live in Kohona. Kin moved to Tokyo and hasn't contacted them in two years. However Kohona High is holding its ten-year reunion for past students and it's a time to reconnect and mend broken fences. ZakuKin.
1. Chapter 1

This is the follow-up to my chapter story 'The Sound Three'. It's short, but hopefully sweet. If you'd like to know what happened to all the characters, here we go!

Chichi - father

Hahaoya - mother

o.O.o

 **Chapter 1**

Zaku stared at his reflection on the computer screen. Scruffy brown hair held back by a dark blue headband. There were more lines on his face than he remembered, particularly around his mouth and the corners of his eyes. Well, ten years would do that.

He ran his hands through his hair and looked up from the computer screen at _Oto Music_. The first thing he'd done since taking over management of the shop was buy a computer and place it at the front counter so he could do all his managing while at work instead of in his own time.

Dosu was currently serving their only customers for the moment. Tuesday's were slow. That left Zaku plenty of time to go through finances and bills and keep on top of everything. He glanced at his reflection again and paid attention to his eyes, noting that they seemed slightly dulled. He knew management was stressful but still…

Suigetsu left Japan five years ago after receiving a job opportunity overseas. He handed over ownership to Zaku, which meant more work but more income. Sai stopped working there three months after graduation when he went to Tokyo to study Art, so Suigetsu had a job opening. Zaku recommended Dosu and the bandaged boy scored a full-time job on top of his nightly work at the newspaper factory.

Now Zaku and Dosu were the only full-time employees at _Oto Music_ and there were two teenagers working part-time. Zaku enjoyed the challenge of managing his own shop. It gave him a sense of fulfilment, given that a lot of people thought he wouldn't get anywhere, but at times the stress levels were intense.

He squeezed his eyes shut for a second and shook his head to focus. Then he glanced at the bottom corner of the screen. Three o'clock. Utako would be finished school and heading home by now. He'd leave in a couple hours to get dinner ready for when Dosu came home after locking up the shop.

Zaku engrossed himself in emails until the bell jingled and his sister came into the shop. He noted her choice of jeans, converse and a t-shirt and mentally applauded her similar sense of style to him.

"Hey Utako, what are you doing here?" he asked, standing.

She smiled and moved around the desk to embrace him. "Nice to see you too." She pulled back and held him at arms' length. "I have some big news… Konohamaru asked me out on a date this Saturday!"

Zaku stared. It hadn't come as a surprise. Utako was growing in her beauty and was bound to attract the attention of other boys. When he was ten-years-old, Konohamaru told Zaku that he liked Utako but Zaku always thought that when he entered high school he would get over it. Apparently not. But at least it was Konohamaru and not some boy that he'd never met before. His only reservation at the moment was that Konohamaru was eighteen and Utako was fourteen.

"That's… not unexpected."

A beautiful smile graced her face and she jumped up and down excitedly. "Zaku! Come on! I've never been asked out on a date before! This is a big moment for me! Can you please take me dress shopping?"

Zaku spluttered. "Uh… what?"

"I need a dress for the date and Moegi's busy so I can't ask her for a second opinion. _Suna Charity_ is just across the street and it won't take more than thirty minutes."

"And then afterwards, to celebrate this momentous event, we can go for ramen."

A mischievous grin crossed her features. "Naruto's ramen?"

"You bet." Zaku called across the shop. "Dosu, you right to handle the shop for the rest of the day?"

"Hai, why?" Dosu wore a bright red bandage today. He'd really changed from the simple white bandage he used to hide, instead making them a fashion accessory.

"Konohamaru asked Utako out and she needs a dress for Saturday and she needs it right now. We're going for ramen too but we'll bring you back some for dinner."

"Sounds good. I'll lock up."

Zaku admired his best friend and roommate's no-nonsense attitude. Dosu understood the challenges of raising a child and did whatever he could to make Zaku's life easier, which Zaku did in turn. They learnt that if they both gave and took a little it made things easier for both of them.

Zaku signed out of the computer and left _Oto Music_ with Utako. Their destination was the orange building just down the block. It used to be a high-end clothes shop but business in the area wasn't the best, as a lot of residents couldn't afford the high prices, so it closed down eight years ago. Now it was an Op Shop called _Suna Charity_ , owned and run by Temari Sabaku. Temari bought the building with her chichi's money and turned it into a charity shop where people could donate their old things and they could be sold cheap. With the new cheap items came more furniture and clothes for the Abumi household and he wasn't ashamed to admit that his entire wardrobe came from _Suna Charity_.

They entered the shop and a bell jingled. Dozens of customers browsed the different areas and Utako made a beeline for the dress rack. Zaku nodded a greeting to Temari, who worked the register, and joined his sister.

Utako flicked through the light-coloured dresses and smiled when she pulled one out. "This is the one. This is the dress." She rushed to the change-rooms and shut the curtain behind her. Zaku leant against the wall awkwardly and cast his eyes over racks upon racks of clothes on one half of the store, and furniture and other household items on the other half. Volunteers drifted among everything, keeping an eye out in case someone shoplifted.

"So I got my results back from the last Numeracy test," Utako said from behind the curtain.

"Oh? And?"

"And I got ninety percent! Shikamaru says I'm just as smart as you!"

Shikamaru could have gone into NASA or the army because of his brain (he was smart enough to work at Google) but instead the lazy man became a school teacher at Kohona High for Numeracy and Humanities. In parent-teacher interviews with Zaku, he said the quiet unadventurous life was for him and he liked the easy hours and moderate pay. Utako said he was a great teacher because he cared for their learning but it wasn't blatantly obvious and he didn't have favourites like a lot of other teachers.

"And we all know Shikamaru knows what he's talking about."

"He's still my favourite teacher." Utako pushed the curtain aside and stepped forward wearing a pretty cream lacy dress that worked perfectly with her chocolate hair. "Do you think this looks good?"

Zaku smiled and gave her thumbs-up. "Hai, it looks good." The dress came down to her mid-thigh and covered her entire torso, giving him nothing to complain about. She did a twirl for good measure, smiled brightly, and went back into the change-room.

He had to admit, sometimes he thought of her more as a daughter than a sister – they were fourteen years apart so it was only natural. He was twenty-eight and she was fourteen. He still remembered the six-month-old baby that entered his life unexpectedly and nearly ruined it, but they'd survived the hard stuff. She was a lot bigger than when she'd first arrived and much more mature. He would definitely say that she was _very_ pretty compared to a lot of the other young girls. It was good genetics. One of the few things Zaku remembered about their hahaoya was that she was beautiful and both her children received her looks.

Utako came out of the change-room and brandished the dress proudly. "This is the one."

Zaku pulled his wallet from his jeans' pocket and pulled out the ¥500 he needed on their way up to the counter. Temari lounged at the counter and smiled as they approached.

"Found what you were looking for?" the blonde asked. She had a habit of wearing all these strange clothes and today was no exception: flared orange jeans, floral t-shirt and a sideways studded cap.

"Hai, we did." Utako handed the dress over to be scanned and blushed. "I have a date."

"Oh good for you!" Temari smiled and took the money from Zaku. She bagged the dress and gave it back to Utako. "He's a lucky guy."

They thanked Temari and left the Op Shop. Zaku smirked at the blue building across the road, pleased that he had the afternoon off while poor Dosu managed the shop on his own.

He patted his wallet appreciatively and glanced as his sister. "So… ramen?"

She nodded excitedly and slipped her arm through his. "How's your new song going?"

Zaku still played guitar and now made a hobby out of writing songs. He never intended to share them or become a famous songwriter or anything – it was just something he enjoyed doing.

"I've got the riff but I still need to flesh out a few things. I'm thinking of calling it _Excess Silence_."

Utako nodded. "Maybe you could write an accompaniment piece for the keyboard?" Utako was great with almost every instrument she used but, like Kin, she gravitated towards the keyboard.

"It's a work in progress. Who knows, it might not need another instrument?"

"That's what you always say and it always ends up a solo piece. I want to play music with you, you know," she gave him her best 'duh' look, "just like you, Dosu and Kin used to."

Zaku looked away and took a deep breath. He couldn't bear hearing her name out loud, something both Dosu and Utako should know by now. It just… hurt too much.

They reached the ramen shop after twenty minutes and managed to find a seat. Business for Ichiraku Ramen was better than ever and Teuchi was considering renovating the shop or moving to a bigger one.

Utako leant forward in her seat and Zaku caught one of the young men in the shop eyeing her. The man saw his death-glare and immediately looked away. It often happened because of her looks, though Utako remained unaware of the attention. She only had eyes for one.

Upon seeing two of their regulars, Ayame came over with a notepad. Her hair was frizzled underneath her white chef's cap and she smiled with the look of someone who had drunk too much coffee.

"Zaku! Utako! How lovely to see you! What can I get you?"

"Miso ramen please." Utako smiled.

"The Namikaze special." Zaku brought out his wallet and handed over the money. Ayame let her hand linger a little too long when she accepted the money. She went back to the kitchen and Zaku caught Naruto's eye and waved.

After school, Naruto went to Kohona University and studied art. He was a paid artist now at the Kohona Museum and Art Gallery and still worked at Ichiraku Ramen part-time as a favour to Teuchi. He married Sasuke Uchiha, who now co-managed the family bank chain with his brother Itachi, the _Akatsuki Buy, Bank and Loan_. The pair were highly successful and Naruto told Zaku they were looking at adoption in the next year.

Utako peered into the kitchen at Ayame. "Didn't you go on a date with Ayame a few months ago?"

"Hai."

"Why haven't you gone on another one? I can tell she really wants to."

"Are you only thinking about it because now you're going on a date and you're wondering why I'm not?"

"Maybe…"

Zaku looked into the kitchen too. Ayame was thirty-two, four years older than him. She was still a pleasant-looking woman, though past her prime, and when she'd asked Zaku on a date he'd hesitantly accepted. She'd clearly been very interested in him, though he felt no chemistry with her. It was the same with a girl he met at the music shop. Her name was Karin, she had red hair, and she loved writing music. They'd gone on two dates before deciding to stop it there.

It was like there was something wrong with him. He knew he wasn't interested in guys and he wasn't asexual like Dosu. He liked girls… one girl in particular, but now it was too late. Maybe he should actually make an attempt to move on, just like she probably had, and needless to say, Ayame dropped hints at every available opportunity. Maybe he should accept and finally try to move on with his life… but doing that just felt wrong.

"I'm not interested Utako, that's all."

"But you're never interested! It was the same with Karin. 'I'm just not interested'. I've always been the only girl in the house and you're going to die old and alone like Sarutobi."

"Sarutobi isn't alone, he has his son and grandson."

"You get what I mean. You don't have to make me the only girl in your life."

"It's just…" Zaku trailed off as Naruto approached with their ramen. The blonde flashed a blinding smile that made Utako melt in her seat. She loved Naruto's smiles, always had.

"Hey guys, how's it going?" the part-time ramen chef asked.

"Work for me, school for her." Zaku leant forward conspiratorially. "Konohamaru asked her out on a date."

"So you tell _everyone_?" Utako hid her face in embarrassment.

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about! He's a great kid." Naruto ruffled her hair fondly and she couldn't help but smile. "I'm very happy for you. Don't do anything your brother wouldn't do."

"He doesn't even go on dates," Utako muttered.

Naruto chuckled. "Don't worry, he'll go on dates one day and you'll find yourself wishing he never got a girlfriend. That's what happened with Sasuke and his brother." He looked around. "I gotta get back to the kitchen. I'll see you two later?"

"Hai, you will. Have fun at work." Zaku raised his chopsticks and Naruto poked his tongue out before heading back to the kitchen.

Utako turned to Zaku. "What were you going to say? Before Naruto came over?"

"Nothing." Zaku dug into his ramen enthusiastically and Utako wisely didn't continue.

o.O.o

The apartment had changed since Dosu moved in. He'd originally brought his single bed with him, and they'd traded both his and Zaku's singles for a bunk-bed which fit snugly in the bedroom. Dosu unfolded the couch permanently and slept in the living area. He'd also brought a large chest of drawers and he used it for all his clothing and other belongings. Zaku and Utako slept on the bunk-beds and owned one half of the wardrobe each.

The kitchen had more utensils too, with three of them living there now. Zaku made sure the fridge was always stocked and they had all these cool appliances like a blender, toaster, and they even had a vacuum cleaner! The joys of having money!

The second they walked through the door, Eko was on them. The full-grown Kishu leapt at Utako and she knelt and gave him all her love and attention.

"Hey there little guy!" She scratched his sides and he rolled over so she could move to his stomach. "How was your day?"

Eko's tongue lolled out in appreciation. Zaku squeezed past the pair and made a beeline to the kitchen and put their leftover ramen in the fridge for Dosu. He then took some clothes into the bathroom and had a nice warm shower. He thought back to the days when a warm shower was a lost luxury. How things had changed.

Dressed in a t-shirt and boxers, he went out to the kitchen and started washing the dishes they'd used during the day.

At the beginning of her Genin year, Utako received her own laptop from the school. Once she finished playing with Eko she brought her laptop out to the dining table (hai, they had a dining table with four chairs now) and got started on some late homework. The dog curled on the ground beside the door and looked up mournfully, waiting for his owner to come home so he could go for a walk.

Dosu walked through the door just after seven o'clock and greeted his dog enthusiastically. He looked up from his excitable dog at the pair.

"Well don't you two look domestic," he commented. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out two envelopes. "Check out what came in the mail."

Zaku emptied the sink, having finished the dishes, and wiped his hands. "Lemme see." Dosu tossed one over to his housemate and they opened them at once. Zaku recognised the Kohona High School emblem immediately. That didn't make sense. If any letters came from the school they were for Utako.

 _Dear Mister Abumi,_

 _You are cordially invited to attend Kohona High's ten-year reunion on Saturday the-_

Dosu snorted underneath his bandages. "So does that mean we'll be going back to school?"

Zaku's heart skipped a beat. If they sent the letters to everyone from his year, maybe there was still a chance.


	2. Chapter 2

As we all do, I ship certain pairings. You may not agree with these pairings but I happen to like them. Enjoy this latest chapter!

Chichi - father

Hahaoya - mother

o.O.o

 **Chapter 2**

Saturday night. Konohamaru was picking up Utako at seven for their seven-thirty restaurant reservation. The reunion started at seven-thirty.

Zaku shut the shop fifteen minutes early and skated home. When he stepped through the door, Dosu was fast asleep on the couch with Eko and Utako sat at the table quietly wearing her cream dress, cream slip-on shoes and her hair up in a ponytail. The only downside of living with men was that she had no one to teach her make-up or how to do her hair nicely.

"Hey sweetie, you okay?" Zaku sat beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

She bit her lip. "I'm just nervous…"

"It's just Konohamaru. He's your friend." Zaku pulled her into a hug and kissed her forehead. She relaxed in his arms and squeezed his hand.

"I love you, Zaku," she whispered, "and I just want you to be happy."

"I am happy," he murmured. She snuggled closer to his chest and sighed.

"You're not _truly_ happy. I see it when you think no one's looking." She pressed her hand to his heart.

"Why are you suddenly obsessed with me getting a girlfriend?"

She didn't reply and he had no idea what she was thinking. Wait a minute… did she know? Did she know what happened between him and-

Someone knocked on the door and jerked him from his thoughts. Utako jumped up and smoothed down her dress, gentleness replaced with nerves. Zaku ran a hand through his hair and gave her thumbs-up, hiding his pain behind a smile like he always did.

She breathed deeply and opened the door.

Konohamaru stood there in black jeans and a short-sleeved blue button-up with palm trees dotted all over. He'd brushed back his unruly hair for once. The eighteen-year-old was so mature compared to the little boy Zaku once took for sushi.

"H-hey Konohamaru." Utako blushed furiously.

"Utako, it's just me." He laughed easily and waved to Zaku. "I'll have her back by eleven."

"Nice to see you too." Zaku nodded at the boy. Konohamaru smiled at Utako and the pair left the apartment. Zaku wandered over to Dosu's sleeping form and shook him. "Hey Dosu, wake up."

"Mmm…"

"Wake up!"

"Ah!" Dosu jerked awake and upset Eko. The dog wriggled around on the bed before flopping away from Dosu and looking at the pair mournfully. Dosu stared at Zaku without his bandages on. Once, seeing his deformities had made Zaku uncomfortable, but now he didn't even blink. It was just how Dosu was.

"We should be heading to the school," Zaku said. "The reunion starts in like, twenty minutes."

"Hai." Dosu's sleepy expression turned serious. "You're okay to go?"

"Hai, why wouldn't I be?"

"It's just… what if Kin's there?"

Zaku's heart ached at her name. In a one-off moment of weakness he'd told Dosu the truth and he regretted it. He shouldn't have told anyone. Keeping it to himself would make it easier to move on.

"Then she's there." Zaku looked away. "Let's just get ready."

Dosu seemed like he wanted to say something, but he kept his mouth shut and went to his dresser instead of starting a deep and meaningful conversation that would undoubtedly lead to Zaku getting angry.

If there was one thing that got him angry, it was when he addressed his feelings.

He and Dosu both dressed in sensible jeans and long-sleeved dress-shirts, Zaku's dark green and Dosu's dark red to match his maroon bandages. Zaku attempted to comb his hair back but it always ended up springing back over his eyes, so he had to tie it up with a black headband. Dosu's blonde hair was cut short, as usual, and the only thing he could possibly do with it was spike it up like he was a rock star. Which he refused to do.

They said goodbye to Eko, locked the apartment door behind them and headed for the school. Zaku cross his fingers for a second and hoped that Utako would have a great night, but not _too_ great. He didn't know if he was ready for her to grow up yet. She was only fourteen and Konohamaru was eighteen and graduating school at the end of the year. That kind of pressure wouldn't be good for a relationship. Not to mention she was _only fourteen_ and he was entrusting her safety to Konohamaru, even if they'd been best friends her whole life.

"They'll be fine," Dosu assured him. "You've seen how Konohamaru's looked at her. My guess is he's waited until she was older before asking her out."

"I know. He told me when he was ten that he liked her. I always assumed that he'd find some other girl at school but that didn't happen."

"At least it's Konohamaru and not some boy you don't know."

"That's true." He couldn't help but see the logic in Dosu's words. He'd known Konohamaru since he was four and he was friends with his grandpa. Any other boy would be cause for suspicion.

They arrived at Kohona High at seven-thirty. They took a moment to stare at the cluster of buildings before forging on towards the gym. Music emanated from the building and they knew that most people from their year would be in there, all ten years older than when they last saw them.

The gym was decorated old-style, with streamers, plastic tablecloths and coloured strobe lights. Dozens of tables cluttered one section of the gym, placed right near the food and drink, while the rest of the gym was devoted to a floor where people could mingle and dance.

As soon as he entered, his eyes were drawn to a head of bright pink hair standing with a giant of a man. Sakura and Lee saw him and Dosu and waved. They'd married, to everyone's surprise. They both studied at some fancy Tokyo university – Sakura to be a doctor and Lee to be a nutritionist – and suddenly they were an item. Naruto told Zaku all about them and how unexpectedly cute they were and it made him laugh. Sakura came back to work at Kohona's hospital and Lee opened his own sport practice in the city central and now they had two children and a load of money in the bank.

Standing next to them with her husband was Ino Yamanaka. She inherited the _Yamanaka Flower Emporium_ after her chichi died of cancer and put her heart and soul into the business. Her creative spirit attracted the attention of – unbelievably – Sai Uchiha and now he co-worked the flower shop with her. No one saw that coming, not when she preferred going for bad-boys like Kiba. Zaku attended their wedding under Sai's invitation and freely expressed his surprise at the match. Sai stood beside her tonight, smiling and cheerful with an arm around his wife.

Not too far away from Ino were Shikamaru, Choji and Choji's wife. While Shikamaru became a teacher, Choji became the owner of an amazing yakitori restaurant in the city central. Choji's wife Karui, a foreign beauty with dark skin and red hair, came to Japan to learn their style of cooking but ended up falling in love with her loud, kind-hearted boss. No one was quite sure what country she'd come from, but Zaku had seen her at Choji's side many times and she was always smiling.

He saw Naruto and Sasuke sitting at a table with Gaara and Kankuro. Where their sister worked her own successful business, her brothers, in contrast, spent some time in prison. Kankuro and Gaara were caught robbing a department store and spent two years in prison. Gaara kept his nose clean and got a job in construction and was now the head of his department. Kankuro, unfortunately, went back to prison after almost beating a man to death while drunk. He'd been released the year before and Gaara gave him a job with the promise of no alcohol. The four men were talking loudly and laughing at old jokes.

At a table quite near them were Temari, Tenten and Neji. Tenten had gone to become a serious athlete who competed in marathons and sport events all over the world. She'd even gone to the Olympics for high jump once. Neji was a sports reporter for all these fancy events around the world and he and Tenten were married with children and had their own website with gym advice and dieting tips. He'd never looked at the website.

Someone moved past him and he stared at a petite black-haired beauty holding hands with a scruffy brunette male. He and Dosu stared at the newcomers and they stared at him.

"Zaku?" the man said. Zaku gaped, recognising the voice.

"Kiba? I didn't recognise you with the beard!" He shook hands with his old classmate and looked at the girl with him. "Who's this?"

Kiba grinned his familiar wolfish grin. "This beautiful woman, gentlemen, is Hinata Hyuga."

"How's it going Hinata?" Dosu asked, holding out a hand for her to shake. "You look so different, I couldn't tell it was you."

She smiled brightly and shook his hand. "I'm doing good Dosu. How are you?"

"I'm alright."

Zaku looked at Kiba. "So what have you guys gotten up to since school? I haven't heard anything about you in ages…"

"Well we've been backpacking around the world," Kiba explained.

"We stay in the poorest countries and try help them with anything they need, like farming and building, and we try to raise money for wells for villages in Africa." Hinata smiled proudly and Zaku found himself thinking that Kiba had found himself a gem.

"That sounds like a lot of fun," Dosu said mournfully.

"Well when your chichi's rich you can afford to do stuff like that." Hinata blushed.

They talked for a few more minutes before going further into the gym. Zaku spotted Shino heading towards his old groupmates. Shino had become a successful entomologist and his studies of bugs had made it into the news on occasion. Zaku once attended one of his open lectures on entomology at Kohona University, out of curiosity, but all the science talk confused him.

Zaku and Dosu did a lap of the gym before grabbing a drink and sitting at a free table. They weren't too sure what to do, given that they hadn't seen most of their classmates in years.

Gaara and Naruto eventually joined them. The four men exchanged greetings and looked out at the gym.

"It's hard to believe it's been ten years," Naruto said. "I used to play dodgeball in here at lunchtimes."

Zaku looked over at Gaara. The redhead looked a lot healthier than in his high school years but his tattoo was still ugly. "How's it going Gaara?"

"It's going alright." Gaara actually had pupils now.

"You got a girl waiting for you?" Zaku asked. "Or a guy? I'm not offended…" He took a sip of his drink before he said something stupid.

"Believe it or not, hai."

Zaku spat out his drink. "Wait, what?!"

"Her name's Naruko and she's blonde-"

"And no she's not related to me," Naruto cut in.

Gaara rolled his eyes. "No, she's not. She works at the boutique near where I live and she is _gorgeous_."

"Does she know about your criminal past?" Zaku joked.

"Of course! I'm not an idiot." Gaara grinned. "We know Naruto's got a man, but what about you two?"

"Asexual," Dosu said. "I'm just not interested."

"No girl yet," Zaku admitted, taking another sip of his drink. Dosu gave him a baleful glare.

"Look, if you're not going to say it I might as well." He motioned to Gaara and Naruto. "He likes Kin."

"No way!" Naruto laughed and slapped Zaku's back. "I always thought you two were cosy but _this_ … Zaku you _dog_! And where is she?"

Zaku clenched his jaw. He knew something like this was bound to happen. Dosu probably thought he was helping, but he wasn't. "I don't know where she is. Somewhere in Tokyo most likely. I haven't seen her in years."

Naruto and Gaara stared. "What happened?" the redhead asked, obviously keen for some juicy gossip. When had the sullen emo developed an interest in gossip…?

"It was nothing."

Dosu clicked his tongue. "If you don't, I will."

"Fine." Zaku slammed his drink down. "I put all my attention towards Utako. I didn't notice that Kin had feelings for me. One day she got fed up with my ignorance and told me how she felt. I didn't know what to say. She thought I rejected her and she disappeared to Tokyo and I realised too late that I actually liked her. You happy?"

"Woah…" Naruto gaped. "You really messed up."

"Tell me about it."

Dosu snorted. "Hai, this man here has never brought a woman home or spent a night away from the apartment in the last ten years. I doubt he's even kissed-"

"Shut up you idiot." Zaku was glad for the uneven light because it hid his furious blushing. He couldn't look at the other men so he cast his gaze over the rest of the gym.

And froze.

 _Kin_.

She stood there not looking a day over twenty. Her long black hair cascaded over her shoulders in carefully-planned waves, framing her pale face. She wore tight-fitting black jeans, a snug jacket, black boot-heels and a white scarf around her neck.

Dosu, Gaara and Naruto all turned to stare too and Dosu nudged him.

"So… what now?" the mummified male asked.

Zaku's heart beat at a thousand miles an hour but his mind went blank. All possibilities of moving on seemed impossible now that he'd seen her again. He stared and Kin completely ignored him and moved to chat with Neji and Tenten.

Naruto chuckled and raised his cup. "Let me tell you one thing Zaku, you don't want to let her go a second time." He finished his cup, glanced around to make sure no one was watching, and dropped it under the table. He then stood and went off to find his husband.

Zaku stared at Kin's back and swallowed. What should he do?


	3. Chapter 3

Here is the end of The Sound Three. I really loved writing this and I hope you loved reading it! Thanks for sticking with me the whole way through, you make writing worth it.

Chichi - father

Hahaoya - mother

o.O.o

 **Chapter 3**

Ten o'clock and he still hadn't spoken to her. He'd seen her glancing his way once or twice though. But was it encouragement or irritation? Did she want him to talk to her?

Dosu drifted off to talk to other people and so did Zaku. He struck up conversations with Kankuro, Sai and Kiba and tried to distract himself from the woman standing barely five metres away. To no avail, of course.

Some people had already gone home, either from boredom or needing to get up early for work. Kiba and Hinata left because they had an early plane to catch. Ino had to deliver some wedding flowers early in the morning so she and Sai went home. Lee and Sakura had to go home for the kids, as did Neji and Tenten. Choji had an early morning at the restaurant so he and Karui left. The gym was decidedly emptier.

Zaku said goodnight to Sai and turned to go sit down. He stopped. Kin stood right behind him, equally as shocked. Her eyes met his and he smelt her perfume. She smelt so _good_ …

"H-hi," he stammered. _Idiot_.

She regained her composure and nodded coolly. "Hello Zaku."

"How… how are you?"

"Huh?"

He hesitantly stepped closer so she could hear him better over the music. "How are you?"

"I'm good. How are you?"

"Not too bad. How's Tokyo?"

"It's alright. I've got my own apartment in the inner city and a steady job at a phone company. I can't complain. And how's Kohona?"

"It's good. I still work at _Oto Music_ with Dosu and Utako's got her first date tonight."

The ghost of a smile appeared on Kin's face. "Oh? With who?"

"Konohamaru."

"That's really sweet. I knew they would make a good match. How's she doing? I've really missed her."

Zaku fidgeted. "She's been getting good marks in school and stuff and she's really making progress on the keyboard."

Kin moaned. "Oh, I haven't played the keyboard in _ages_. Kimimaro hated music."

"Kimimaro?"

"My ex-boyfriend."

His stomach clenched. So she'd been with another and it shouldn't bother him but it did. It should have been him, but he was too much of an idiot to see. "Well he sounds like a bit of a moron."

"He's not the only moron I know." Her gaze turned cold again and he inwardly cringed. He deserved that…

"Hai…"

She folded her arms. "So do you have a girlfriend?"

"No. I've been on a few dates but nothing serious." He might as well tell her the whole truth, especially if he wanted her to forgive his stupidity.

"Well I know you're incapable of anything serious so that doesn't come as a surprise."

"What's that supposed to mean?" His anger flared and he fought to push it down.

She snorted and turned away. "It doesn't matter anyway. Just forget it." She took one step and he grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him. Just touching her sent electricity shooting through his body.

"Why did you leave? You didn't leave an email, a phone number or anything so we could contact you."

She jerked her arm away. "Well then you should have come after me."

"What?"

Then she ran. He stood there dumbfounded for a moment as she left the gym, hair flying out behind her. Quite a few people stared at him in confusion, but Dosu understood.

"You idiot!" he shouted. "GO AFTER HER!"

"Right!" Zaku turned and rushed out of the gym. He caught sight of her running from the school and he chased her. He'd always been faster and caught up to her easily. He grabbed the back of her jacket and did the first thing that came to mind: spun her around and crushed his arms around her.

"Let go of me!" she cried, trying in vain to push him away, but he was a lot stronger than her.

"No."

"Hai!"

"No."

"Just let me go!"

"No."

She buried her face into his chest and fastened her arms around him. Her body started to shake and he realised she was crying. He gently started rubbing circles around her back and fought to keep all the emotion from rising.

"Kin, you have to understand that I have no idea what to do when it comes to relationships." He breathed deeply. "I've always made Utako my number one priority and I never factored relationships into my life. I never thought about it. But after you left I did. I thought about it a lot."

"I always thought you didn't like me enough to fight for me. I thought I shouldn't come back to Kohona because you would just make excuses." She hiccupped and Zaku's heart ached. He'd caused her so much pain… did he really deserve her?

His heart wouldn't take no for an answer. It couldn't be too late for them to mend what broke.

"Excuses…" he sighed. "My only excuse was that I was a moron who didn't know my own feelings." It felt so right to hold her like this, to cradle her close to his heart. He pressed his face to her hair and planted a gentle kiss there.

Her body stilled at the contact and she slowly loosened her grip so she could move back and look up at him. His heart broke at the tear tracks running down her face and he raised a hand and wiped them away with his shirt sleeve.

"Do you think it's…" she sniffled and closed her eyes, "too late for us?" Fresh tears spilled down her cheeks and he wiped those away too.

"No. My heart wouldn't allow it."

Her eyes flicked to his lips and this time he wouldn't be slow. He raised both hands to cup her face and moved his face closer to hers. Their noses touched and he felt her breath dance across his face.

"I'm in love with you," he whispered, before closing the distance and pressing his lips against hers.

There weren't fireworks like all the stories said, but a beautiful feeling filled his stomach and his mind went completely blank. He would have happily stayed there forever, but five seconds was long enough for a first kiss.

He slowly pulled back, their lips sticking together momentarily, and he looked in her eyes. Her face was flushed but she wore the biggest smile he'd ever seen.

"I'm in love with you too." She laughed and threw her arms around his neck, jumping up on her toes so she could reach. He smiled and wrapped his around her waist, leaning back and lifting her into the air.

This was what Utako meant when she said she wanted him to be happy.

o.O.o

Sunday morning. Zaku woke with his left arm completely numb. He blinked slowly and his eyes adjusted to the dim morning light. The clock on the bedside table said seven-thirty and the half-open curtain flooded the room with sunlight. The entire wardrobe gave off an eerie glow but thankfully the bed was still in the dark.

His eyes travelled to the warm body in his arms.

After their kiss, he and Kin returned to his apartment had some tea while catching up on the times they missed and waiting for Utako and Dosu to get home. Dosu came back ten minutes before Utako wearing a knowing smile. Utako was delighted to see Kin and completely unsurprised when she found out what happened. Her date with Konohamaru went rather well and Zaku was relieved that it hadn't ended with a kiss.

The four of them stayed up until midnight talking before finally going to bed. Kin had come to Kohona by train with only the clothes on her back and had nowhere to stay, so she went to bed with Zaku. It was rather squishy, but it gave them an excuse to be close and fall asleep spooning.

He ran his hand through her hair and sighed in contentment. Someone moved around in the kitchen, probably Utako making her breakfast. Kin laced her fingers through his and yawned.

"Good morning." She rolled over and smiled and he instinctively kissed her. Her lips were amazingly soft.

He broke the kiss and smiled softly. "I'm thinking maybe it's time I get a bigger apartment. There's gotta be three-bedroomed apartments somewhere."

"Or you could just look for a house." She smiled again and he kissed her.

"Mm, I'll never get tired of that," he murmured. Then he kissed her again.

She giggled. "Stop!" She stood and stretched. She wore just her black jeans and a plain white t-shirt, having taken her jacket and scarf off before getting into bed.

The pair got dressed and went out to the kitchen. Dosu and Utako sat at the table eating cereal and Eko munched on his dog bits. They all said good morning and Zaku and Kin joined them with their own cereal.

"So," Dosu said through a mouthful, "what's the plan now? Are you coming back to Kohona, Kin?"

She nodded. "There's nothing for me in Tokyo. I want to come back as soon as possible."

"Hai, and I'm thinking maybe we should get a bigger apartment or maybe a house."

"This apartment ain't big enough for the four of us," Utako said dramatically, waggling her spoon.

Zaku could envision it now. He and Kin would go to Tokyo, pack her bags and bring it back. Then the four of them would buy a house with a backyard for Eko. Then he sneakily envisioned the future he wanted: a four-bedroomed house with the fourth room for his children with Kin.

He looked over at the woman he loved. She would make a great hahaoya and he'd proven that he could be a good chichi with Utako.

All the people who meant something to him were finally all sitting together. The love of his life, his best friend, and the sister who he couldn't live without. And if it weren't for the group program in Kohona High, he'd still be miserable. School gave him the strength to let people in. The reunion gave him the same strength on a larger scale.

And now he had Kin. Ten years late maybe, but he still had her.

Utako raised her cereal bowl in a mock-toast. "To the future!" she grinned. The trio clinked bowls with hers and repeated the words with a smile.

"To the future!"


End file.
